EAST ASIA

CHINA PR

• New immigration law coming soon

• Filipino domestic workers in demand

JAPAN

• Tokyo mulls toughen rules on remitting to North Korea

HONG KONG SAR

• Irregular migration from Pakistan alarms officials

MACAU SAR

• Protection for domestic helpers sought

NORTH KOREA

• Female refugees being sold in China

SOUTH KOREA

• Expatriates Koreans, foreigners ready for local elections

• Korea urged to welcome immigration

• Officials launch ‘voluntary exit’ program

• Seoul opens more jobs to Bangladeshis

TAIWAN

• Labor council ponders quota on foreign labor

• Controversial employer indicted for treatment of Muslim workers

• Migrant stereotypes a result of media, policies – study

• Migrant hotline receiving more calls

SOUTH ASIA

BANGLADESH

• Government to train domestic workers

• Dhaka seeks deals with Seoul, Kuala Lumpur

• Stronger cooperation needed as climate migration strikes

INDIA

• IT industry allowed hiring more foreigners

• 20 million unauthorized migrants in India – report

• Bill to regulate emigration promulgated

NEPAL

• Remittances down but number of workers up

• Finance ministry to release development bonds

PAKISTAN

• Officials set to unveil first-ever policy for overseas Pakistanis

• Pakistanis top list of internally displaced persons in 2009 – UN

SRI LANKA

• Health policy for foreigners and Sri Lankans abroad in the offing

PACIFIC

AUSTRALIA

• Opposition party resurrects ‘Pacific Solution’

• Medical professionals wanted; hairdressers, cooks to be cut

• Amnesty International takes Canberra to task on refugees

NEW ZEALAND

• Net migration soars year-on-year, but rate falls

SOUTHEAST ASIA

CAMBODIA

• Males trafficked for fishing industry

INDONESIA

• Pact with Malaysia still not completed

• Jakarta denies Saudi Arabian ban on its workers

• Indonesia gives thumbs-down to Australian asylum proposal

MALAYSIA

• 1.9M foreigners in the country in 2009

• KL to offer amnesty to irregular workers

• Companies urged to hire more locals

• Higher levies for less-skilled foreign labor eyed

• Human rights group slams Malaysia for caning foreigners

• Tamil asylum-seekers go on hunger strike

PHILIPPINES

• Remittances top $4B in 1st quarter

• Overseas voter turnout exceeds 2007 total

• President-elect urged to end migration as ‘forced option’

• Authorities sound off on fake Caribbean job offers

• Aggrieved nurses gain edge in New York case

• Issuance of ‘ePassports’ begins

• Costs of sending remittances to go down

• Return of Mindanao IDPs ordered

SINGAPORE

• New jobs to be taken by locals

• Non-profit group helps domestic workers settle

• New human trafficking route raises concern

THAILAND

• Migrants struggle as clashes intensify

• Burmese migrants in hiding after raid

VIETNAM

• Irregular workers face expulsion

• Human trafficking victims total 3,190 in five-year stretch

• Marriage migration to China on the rise

MIDDLE EAST

BAHRAIN

• Government extends ‘Easy Exit’ program

KUWAIT

• Watchdog wants more stringent protection laws

OMAN

• Worker amnesty extended

SAUDI ARABIA

• Official, recruiters want ban on Indonesian workers

• Saudi mulling further reduction of work visas

• Nepalese domestic workers dumped from Kuwait

UAE

• Human trafficking cases double

• Emiratis form less than 10 percent of nurse workforce

• India, UAE sign MoU on foreign labor

• Indian, Pakistani workers protest harsh conditions

YEMEN

• Funding issues plague UN refugee efforts

• Organ trafficking in the upswing